Swimming Lessons
by Faberrittanainthetardis
Summary: From a Tumblr prompt: Spencer can't swim. Paige and Emily try to teach her. Spaily i.e. Emily/Paige/Spencer romantic relationship.


"When did Paige say she would be here?" Spencer asked, stirring sugar into her coffee.

Emily bit her lip to supress a grin at Spencer's question. Just a few months ago she would have done anything she could to avoid spending time with Paige but here she was obviously missing her company. "She said she'd be here soon, she didn't give an exact time."

Spencer glanced around as if she expected to see Paige walking towards them. It was a warm day and they'd chosen to sit outside of the Brew so they would definitely be able to see Paige approach. She glanced back at Emily quizzically. "And you don't know anything about what she said she has planned."

"I have no idea, she just said it's a surprise. She wouldn't tell me anything else."

"I hate surprises." Spencer muttered under her breath. "Surprises never work out well for us."

Emily rolled her eyes at Spencer's pessimism but she couldn't exactly disagree with her. The majority of the time the surprises they received weren't pleasant at all. "This is Paige we're talking about, she probably just wants to take us out somewhere nice or something. You know what she's like, she's a hopeless romantic."

"Yeah." Spencer smiled warmly at the thought before taking a quick sip of her coffee.

"There she is." Emily stated after a brief moment of silence.

Spencer looked up to see Paige approaching them, her hands shoved into the front pockets of her faded jeans. Paige smiled at sight of Spencer and Emily and she picked up her pace, reaching the table in a matter of seconds.

"How are my favourite girls this morning?" she asked happily. She leaned over to press a light kiss to Emily's lips before giving Spencer a brief peck on the cheek.

Spencer frowned at the action but she didn't say anything, fairly used to having to hide her relationship with Emily and Paige.

"Curious." She answered before Emily could. "Emily said you have something to tell us."

"I do." Paige nodded and took the free seat next to Emily. She opened her mouth to explain her idea but she was quickly distracted by the cup of coffee in front of her, "You bought my coffee?"

"Spencer decided she was paying today." Emily answered. "I wasn't about to argue."

"Thanks Spence." Paige flashed Spencer a grin. "I didn't know you knew my coffee order."

"I didn't, I had to ask Emily." Spencer confessed sheepishly. "But I know now."

"Is that a subtle offer to buy my coffee every day?" Paige teased.

"More like every three days." Spencer shot Paige a faux glare. "You're paying tomorrow McCullers, which means you have to memorize _my_ coffee order."

Emily and Paige both laughed at the statement and Spencer looked between them in confusion. "What?"

"Spence, you have the simplest coffee order of anyone I know." Emily pointed out.

"Black coffee with sugar." Paige filled in. "It's pretty easy to remember."

"I see your point." Spencer muttered begrudgingly. She quickly changed the subject. "So what did you have to tell us?"

"Not knowing is killing her." Emily told Paige, amused by Spencer's need to know what was going on.

Paige chuckled softly at the silent glare Spencer levelled in Emily's direction. "It's nothing really, I just thought we could head down to the beach for a couple of days this weekend. My dad owns a beach house a few miles out of Rosewood and he said I could use it. I thought maybe we could go down there, the water is great this time of year and…" she trailed off noticing Emily and Spencer glancing at each other somewhat awkwardly. "Oh…do you already have plans with Hanna and Aria?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Emily shook her head but didn't clarify.

"Then what is it?" Paige asked, glancing between Emily and Spencer in concern. "If you don't want to go it's okay, you should just tell me."

Emily stayed silent, staring down at the table.

"Okay now I'm starting to freak out a little." Paige confessed when neither Spencer nor Emily answered her. "Did I do something? Am I forgetting an important date?"

Spencer mumbled something in response that Paige failed to hear.

"What?" Paige asked, leaning slightly closer.

Spencer repeated herself, not much louder than before. Paige strained to hear but only caught the word 'swim' at the end of the sentence. "What? Spencer I can't hear…"

"I can't _swim_, okay?" Spencer interrupted loudly. "Nobody ever taught me."

Paige gaped at Spencer in surprise for a moment, the thought inconceivable to her. "You…can't swim?" Spencer shook her head and Paige turned her attention to Emily. "You never taught her how to swim?"

"She wouldn't let me!" Emily exclaimed defensively. "She kept saying that she would teach herself but she didn't."

Spencer shifting uncomfortably in her seat, blushing furiously. Not being able to do something wasn't something she was at all used to.

"You have to let us teach you." Paige stated seriously, turning her gaze back to Spencer, "Before this weekend."

"Why?" Spencer asked reluctantly.

"Because if you can't swim, this weekend is going to be really boring for you," Paige said as if the answer were obvious. "You are going to come right? Please say you're going to come this weekend!"

"Fine, I'll come. But you really don't have to teach me how to swim, I can just hang out on the beach and catch up on some studying."

"_Studying?"_ Paige looked horrified by the suggestion. "No, no, no. There won't be any studying this weekend. In fact textbooks are _banned_ from the beach house."

"Paige…" Spencer sighed forlornly.

"I'm serious, textbooks go directly into the fire."

Emily chuckled under her breath at Paige's warning.

"Emily." Spencer looked to Emily for support. "Would you please tell your girlfriend…?"

"Our girlfriend." Emily corrected with a smirk.

"Fine, would you tell _our girlfriend_ that I do not need anyone to teach me how to swim?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders.

"Why don't you want to?" Paige asked, deciding to try a different tactic. "Are you scared?"

"Like hell I am." Spencer stated defensively. "I just don't want to learn to swim, okay? I don't want to nor do I need to."

"Come on, you know I wouldn't let you drown." Paige said seriously. "And neither would Emily….right Em?"

Emily struggled to keep a straight face, well aware of what Paige was trying to do. She nodded in agreement with Paige.

"See? If it'll make you more comfortable we'll start off slow…"

"Fine!" Spencer interrupted in a low growl. "I'll do your stupid swimming thing, just don't expect me to like it."

"Great!" Paige practically beamed at the agreement, shooting Emily a triumphant look.

XXX

"Spence, this works a whole lot better if you're in the pool." Emily pointed out teasingly from the middle of Paige's pool.

"I know that Em." Spencer glanced at Emily irritably. She was sitting on the edge, her legs completely submerged in water but she was refusing to get into the pool completely. "The water is cold, I'm just getting used to the temperature before I get in."

"What if Em skinny dips? Will that be enough incentive to get into the pool?"

"_Paige_." Emily glanced at Paige as she approached the pool in her bikini. "Maybe _you_ should be the one skinny-dipping since this was _your_ idea."

"Maybe you both should." Spencer smirked, glancing between the two. "I'll definitely get into the pool if that happens."

"Yeah, that's not happening." Emily said with a shake of her head. "We'll end up getting distracted and you'll learn nothing."

"I'm sure I'll learn _something_." Spencer spoke suggestively.

"Emily's right, you know what my focus is like when either of you are naked." Paige said sheepishly. "It's pretty much non-existent."

Spencer pouted silently.

Paige ran towards the pool and jumped in, accidentally splashing Spencer with water.

"PAIGE!" Spencer shrieked, brushing wet hair from her face.

"Sorry." Paige grinned when she surface, not looking very sorry at all. "But you're going to get wet when you get in here anyway."

"I didn't say I'm getting in there." Spencer said, leaning back slightly.

"You probably shouldn't get in yet anyway, you're sitting at the deep end." Paige pointed out seriously. "It's better to start off at the shallow end."

"I'm not _five_ Paige!" Spencer snapped.

"She doesn't mean it like that." Emily cut in, trying to soothe the situation before an argument could break out between the two of them. "She just means that we should ease you into it, that's all."

"I don't need you to ease me into it Emily, I'm fine." As if to prove her point Spencer used her hands to slide herself into the pool. She half expected her feet to hit the bottom and she let out a gasp of surprise when they didn't.

Paige and Emily both swam quickly towards Spencer as her head was submerged beneath the water. They reached her at the same time and each grabbed one of her upper arms, hauling her up from the water.

Spencer spluttered for a moment, having inhaled water as she went down.

"Are you okay Spence?" Paige asked in concern as she brushed a free falling strand of hair from Spencer's face.

"I officially hate swimming." Spencer muttered hoarsely.

"That was more like drowning than swimming." Emily said teasingly.

Spencer merely glared at her.

"Come on." Emily said, propelling herself back slightly with her free hand without letting go of Spencer.

Realizing what Emily was doing Paige mimicked the action, maintaining her own grip on Spencer's arm. They swam backwards together until they were able to stand up in the pool.

Emily carefully let go of Spencer but when Paige did the same Spencer shifted closer, latching onto her arm. Paige glanced at Emily questioningly and received a confused look in response.

"Spencer." Noticing Spencer looked nervous Paige gently pried Spencer off her and curled an arm loosely around her waist instead. She glanced at Emily who nodded understandingly and swam to Spencer's side. "I'm not asking you this to embarrass you but…are you scared of the water?"

"No, that's ridiculous." Spencer laughed nervously.

"Spence, you know you can tell us." Emily said softly, moving her hand to Spencer's arm. "Did something happen that I don't know about?"

Spencer rolled her eyes skyward and huffed out a sigh. "Fine, I fell into a pool when I was younger and now I just don't like them okay?"

"You should have just told us." Paige said gently. "We wouldn't have pushed so hard." Emily cleared her throat and Paige begrudgingly corrected herself. "Okay _I _wouldn't have pushed so hard."

"It's fine, I guess I have to learn eventually, right?"

Emily and Paige shared a look and Emily gave a small nod.

"You know…" Paige said, backing up slightly. She tugged Spencer with her and Emily followed along of her own accord. "I think we should start off with the basics. You are a beginner after all so we should teach you beginner things."

"Beginner things?" Spencer asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well Emily and I have an on-going competition." Paige easily reversed their positions and lightly backed Spencer up against the wall of the pool. "Only we've never had a judge before."

"What kind of competition?" Spencer asked, glancing between Emily and Paige.

Emily swam closer until she was standing right in front of Spencer next to Paige. "You see we're both pretty good at holding our breath underwater."

"Oh…oh!" Spencer exclaimed in realization.

"May I?" Emily requested, turning to Paige.

Paige moved her hand to the back of Emily's and pulled her close, giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Go for it."

Emily grinned before turning back to Spencer. She took a deep breath and plunged beneath the water.

"You better hold on tight." Paige smirked at Spencer. "Your first lesson is about to start."

THE END.


End file.
